IT directors have givenMicrosoft'snewWindowsserver operating system, due
to be launched this month, a cool reception.
Windows 2008 Server will allow businesses to upgrade from
32-bit systems to faster
64-bit technology, and offers a range of useful features,
including clustering improvements, the
Server Core function and password and
security enhancements.
But many businesses can see no compelling reason to upgrade,
said David Roberts, chairman of The Corporate IT Forum, which
represents senior UK IT managers. "Windows Server 2008 is not on
anyone's radar," he said.
Owen Williams, partner and group head of IT at property firm
Knight Frank, said he could see no compelling business case for
upgrading to the new server operating system.
"There is neither a technical nor a business reason to upgrade,"
said Stephen Way, IT director of the precious metal products
division at manufacturer Johnson Matthey.
Steve Wright, senior IT analyst, at health services provider
Care UK, said there was no business driver to upgrade any of his
existing servers to Windows Server 2008 during their expected
hardware lifespan. "The earliest I would expect to consider an
upgrade would be when the hardware is due for renewal," he
said.
Concerns over the
compatibility of applications are likely to deter most
mainstream businesses from adopting the Windows Server 2008 over
the next 12 months, analysts said.
Windows Server 2008 will allow businesses to upgrade to faster
64-bit technology, but delays in developing compatible applications
will deter many users, said Beatriz Valle, research analyst at
IDC.
"The move to 64-bit requires users to verify that device drivers
and security software products are available for the new 64-bit
code, which will slow down the speed with which companies can shift
from evaluation to deployment," she said.
Microsoft's
Windows Server 2008 home page >>